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First live tournament...

edited August 2014 in Poker Chat
With the UKPC just around the corner it feels like the right time to prepare myself for it, I have never played live poker before, in fact I dont think I have even held cards since i was a young kid, so the thought of playing a 1k main event is pretty daunting, if anyone has some good advice or ideally can point me in the way of a good article that would be great. I have watched a load of live poker on TV and although im fairly new to poker as a whole, i feel i have a decent understanding on the game.. So I know most of the dos and don'ts that cme with live poker... but im also keen to take on as much advice as possible about what do expect, how to approach it and most of all how to enjoy it really, just so I can put my mind at rest and not stress myself about it all...


any replies would be much appreciated

thanks jordz16

Comments

  • edited August 2014

    Announce your bets clearly before moving chips.

    Move chips into play in one clear motion.

    Pay attention to what's happening at the table, act in turn and as promptly as you can.

    Try to keep track of how much is in the pot so that you can size your bets accordingly, there is no onscreen graphic to tell you and no buttons to bet 1/2 pot etc.

    Relax and enjoy!

  • edited August 2014
    In Response to Re: First live tournament...:
    Announce your bets clearly before moving chips. Move chips into play in one clear motion. Pay attention to what's happening at the table, act in turn and as promptly as you can. Try to keep track of how much is in the pot so that you can size your bets accordingly, there is no onscreen graphic to tell you and no buttons to bet 1/2 pot etc. Relax and enjoy!
    Posted by Slykllist
    This is probably the most important advice. On occasion when i splay at the casino somebody we completely obviously string bet or accidently call when they meant to raise and sometimes some try hard at the table will make sure the rules are followed to the letter even though it was clearly a mistake. If you verbalise what it is you want to do before moving any chips verbal stands no matter what you do with the chips after
  • edited August 2014
    Go to your local casino and play a couple of live games as a trial run using the info people have provided.
  • edited August 2014

    Great posts guys, we love threads where someone asks for help and other Sky Poker players jump in to help them. We've all been in this situation and help like this is invaluable. Thank you.
  • edited August 2014
    If you throw/place a single chip into the middle, no matter how large the denomination, it will count as a call.  I would say I learned that the hard way, but I think I won that tournament.
  • edited August 2014
    All good advice above,take a card protector,you wouldn't want the dealer mucking your pok aces :)
  • edited August 2014
    Yeah I'd say the most important thing is to pay attention; be that acting in turn, raising correctly or whatever. Will soon become second nature, but just take a moment before you do anything to ensure it's what you want to do. Vocal declaration covers your back before anything else.

    Good luck and enjoy!
  • edited August 2014
    HI J
    Verbalise your calls or raises or it could cause problems. Dont talk once you have put the chips in or you may give your opponent a tell. I tended to just look at the chips in the middle(no eye contact) and think about the number of letters in the word of a particular song Weird i know but i thought it would stop me giving a tell. I remember my hand shaking pushing my chips in when id hit a set but i tried to adopt the same routine every time i was involved.
     Be careful about how much and what you drink!!! Soda water is a killer lol.

    Observe hands youre not in as you will see a lot of tells that may be useful later(use the net to prepare for this with some light research).

    Get an idea of the aggressive players and/or good players at your table. Avoid playing hands against big stacks with marginal hands.

    Park your ego at the door. Just because a guy bluffs you then shows doesnt mean that you have to get even. 

    I won my first ever live T but more by luck than judgement, i think. I probably played fit/fold poker and avoided bluffs. Not saying you should but early stages just enjoy and play strong hands. Leave the fancy stuff to Slykllist and Macmonster lol.


    Enjoy the experience.
  • edited August 2014
    Another thing I try to do live is to not look at my hand untill it is my turn to act.

    You have played enough online to know pretty quickly what your are going to do whatever cards you have no point possibly accidently giving other people free information by the way you put your cards back, if you eyes go to your chips, you half throw the cards in the much already that sort of thing
  • edited August 2014
    In Response to Re: First live tournament...:
    [QUOTE]Another thing I try to do live is to not look at my hand untill it is my turn to act. You have played enough online to know pretty quickly what your are going to do whatever cards you have no point possibly accidently giving other people free information by the way you put your cards back, if you eyes go to your chips, you half throw the cards in the much already that sort of thing
    Posted by jams88

    This is the last thing i'd recommend tbh. 
    Obviously if you've never played live you wont have looked down and seen the beauty of Aces before, the last thing you want is everybody starring at you as you see them. Just don't act out of turn or make it obvious what you are going to do.

    Another thing i would say is always remember your cards, suits included.  Lets say you have kings, you 4 bet pre, continue on the flop and turn and 4 clubs are now on the board, if you have to look down and check the suits of your kings it will be a massive tell that you have that exact sort of hand.

    Also make sure you tell everyone it's your first live tourne, most people will do their best to make it easy for you, plus live regs will assume you are rubbish.

    GL
  • edited August 2014
    In Response to Re: First live tournament...:
    Announce your bets clearly before moving chips. Move chips into play in one clear motion. Pay attention to what's happening at the table, act in turn and as promptly as you can. Try to keep track of how much is in the pot so that you can size your bets accordingly, there is no onscreen graphic to tell you and no buttons to bet 1/2 pot etc. Relax and enjoy!
    Posted by Slykllist
    big +1 to this.

    Even though it is obvious that online software has all the info there in front of you, I remember the first few times I played live and thought " I have absolutely no idea how much is in the pot" lol, although you can ask the dealer for a count of whats in the pot.

    Just to add to the "Move chips into play in one clear motion" have a think before you play about trying to keep your motions the same for every time you act e.g. call/bet/raise/all in. If your action is the same every time your oppo will have less of a read, this goes for tone of voice, speed of movement, aggressiveness of how you push the chips in. Also how you act when the oppo is tanking/asking questions.

    GL and all the best.
  • edited August 2014
    In Response to Re: First live tournament...:
    In Response to Re: First live tournament... : big +1 to this. Even though it is obvious that online software has all the info there in front of you, I remember the first few times I played live and thought " I have absolutely no idea how much is in the pot" lol, although you can ask the dealer for a count of whats in the pot. Just to add to the "Move chips into play in one clear motion" have a think before you play about trying to keep your motions the same for every time you act e.g. call/bet/raise/all in. If your action is the same every time your oppo will have less of a read, this goes for tone of voice, speed of movement, aggressiveness of how you push the chips in. Also how you act when the oppo is tanking/asking questions. GL and all the best.
    Posted by ShaunyT
    This is not actually true, the dealer will only count the chips in an all in situation, during the progression of the hand it is up to you to keep track of what is in the pot.  The most that the dealer will do is to spread the pot for you so that you can count it for yourself.
  • edited August 2014
    Watch some live poker online,also when folk ask you how many chips you have you don't need to tell them,it is std practice to put the large denomination chips in front of your stack.
  • edited August 2014
    In Response to Re: First live tournament...:
    In Response to Re: First live tournament... : [QUOTE ]Another thing I try to do live is to not look at my hand untill it is my turn to act. You have played enough online to know pretty quickly what your are going to do whatever cards you have no point possibly accidently giving other people free information by the way you put your cards back, if you eyes go to your chips, you half throw the cards in the much already that sort of thing Posted by jams88
    This is the last thing i'd recommend tbh.  Obviously if you've never played live you wont have looked down and seen the beauty of Aces before, the last thing you want is everybody starring at you as you see them. Just don't act out of turn or make it obvious what you are going to do. Another thing i would say is always remember your cards, suits included.  Lets say you have kings, you 4 bet pre, continue on the flop and turn and 4 clubs are now on the board, if you have to look down and check the suits of your kings it will be a massive tell that you have that exact sort of hand. Also make sure you tell everyone it's your first live tourne, most people will do their best to make it easy for you, plus live regs will assume you are rubbish. GL
    Posted by 1267

    I disagree. Think it's a great habit to get into. Especially if you're in the blinds or late position, so you can watch them as they check their cards. It's a hard habit to get into though, especially if you don't play live very often, as the temptation is to look at your cards immediately.

    I'm sure Jordan isn't gonna let out a little squeak if he picks up the bullets!
  • edited August 2014


    Just to reinforce one point, & as Simon noted, the dealer is NOT alowed to tell you how much is in the pot in NL Hold Em. If it were Pot Limit, yes, but in No-Limit, no. If you are unsure, ask him to "spread the pot", & he or she will do so.

    My tip would be to just "sit-out" for the first couple of orbits. You've got a ton of chips & plenty of time. Watch tricks for a while before getting involved. Always "voice" your intended action, too, there can be no misunderstanding then, just catch the Dealers eye & say "I make it 2,000 to go" or whatever.

    A couple of "dont's", too.

    Do NOT touch the chips in the pot, even if you win the pot. It's the Dealers job to push the chips to you, not yours to take them.

    Do not "make change" from the pot, or with other players, that's also the Dealers job. If you need to put in 100 for the BB & only have a 500, fine, stick the 500 in & leave it there. The Dealer will make change. Do NOT make change yourself, nothing irritates more.
     
    Do NOT act out of turn, ever. This is VERY important, & if you do so, you may be warned & subsequently incur a time-penalty, or even be shot.
     

    Do NOT ogle the dealers mid-section if she is displaying acres of heaving cleavage. This is especially so if the Dealer is a young Lady.

    Finally, Live poker & Online poker are chalk & cheese, but the main thing is, ENJOY it.  

    Good luck.
      
  • edited August 2014
    If no-one has said it yet sort your chip stack into denominations. Don't confuse a 10,000 for a 1000.
  • edited August 2014
    In Response to First live tournament...:
    With the UKPC just around the corner it feels like the right time to prepare myself for it, I have never played live poker before, in fact I dont think I have even held cards since i was a young kid, so the thought of playing a 1k main event is pretty daunting, if anyone has some good advice or ideally can point me in the way of a good article that would be great. I have watched a load of live poker on TV and although im fairly new to poker as a whole, i feel i have a decent understanding on the game.. So I know most of the dos and don'ts that cme with live poker... but im also keen to take on as much advice as possible about what do expect, how to approach it and most of all how to enjoy it really, just so I can put my mind at rest and not stress myself about it all... any replies would be much appreciated thanks jordz16
    Posted by jordz16
    all advice given are great points, only bit extra is to enjoy it, playing on thursday  you will be along with a lot of the sky poker players, relax, maybe stay quiet the first few orbits and you will soon get into the swing of things.
    regards,

    arthur.
  • edited August 2014
    getting nervous now,like jordz ive never played live only in the pub,reading this thread with intrest,its gonna be imense
  • edited August 2014
    GL all on popping their cherry !
  • edited August 2014
    Thanks for all the advice, I have taken it all on board, i decided to head down to a local pub who were advertising a poker night, 50 entrants £20 rebuy event, it only lasted 5 hours and i managed to take it down, it was self dealt and the quality wasnt great, but it was still good experience none the less and had given me a lot of confidence heading in to next Thursday, any more advice or chat will be more than welcome though!
  • edited August 2014
    In Response to Re: First live tournament...:
    Thanks for all the advice, I have taken it all on board, i decided to head down to a local pub who were advertising a poker night, 50 entrants £20 rebuy event, it only lasted 5 hours and i managed to take it down, it was self dealt and the quality wasnt great, but it was still good experience none the less and had given me a lot of confidence heading in to next Thursday, any more advice or chat will be more than welcome though!
    Posted by jordz16
    Nice going mate
    Well played
  • edited August 2014
    Self deal is like having a ginger step child.

    This mini will be a walk in the park after that Jordz!
  • edited August 2014
    In Response to Re: First live tournament...:
    Self deal is like having a ginger step child. This mini will be a walk in the park after that Jordz!
    Posted by hhyftrftdr
    You dont like it but just have to put up with it?
  • edited August 2014
    What a game to pick to pop your live cherry hey good luck guys see you there
  • edited August 2014
    keep away from Barbie tho hes a loonie tune
  • edited August 2014
    In Response to Re: First live tournament...:
    keep away from Barbie tho hes a loonie tune
    Posted by goldenb238

    +1 LOL
  • edited August 2014
    Great advice here as ever. I'm in Vegas and have played 4 small tourneys now, first time live play. Cashed for the first time today so well chuffed, finished 3rd in a 30 player event. Learned it all here on sky poker so, my advice would be to pay attention to whats going on and take your time. Have fun!

    Rich
  • edited August 2014
    Just thought i would post an update and let you know how i got on, firstly i would like to say a massive thank you to yoyo (Julian Thew) who was on my starting table at the UKPC and not only was he very friendly but also very helpful in answering any questions i had, and really helped put me at ease, i was dealt a very hard table draw with Julian Thew, Allinstevie (current final tabler) and 2 other well known pros who i cannot remember the names of. (apologies) first few hours my stack yoyo-ed between 30k and 80k as i was probably playing too many hands in hindsight. I also got to meet Tikay for the first time and have to say he was exactly what i expected (take that how you want) even if he thought i was a lot different to what he expected... anyway after lunch i got moved tables and found myself with Kevin Williams to my left (typical) and in all fairness i stayed out his way and managed to double up through an unknown and at this point i was up to around 160K just before dinner which was over 3 times starting stack, so i was probably in the top 20% of the field... then came the horror hand for me... UTG opened, I flatted 1010 on the button, flop came down 10 4 2 rainbow, UTG Bet just under fp, I had been very aggro so far so kept that up my putting in a small raise, and was quickly shoved on,. obviously i snap called and was over the moon.. he turned over kk and then the inevitable king on the turn quickly ruined my dreams of a big cash, so that was that, and i was out. But I have to say the experience was great and I definitely feel i learned A LOT and for me that was the most important thing about this trip... I stayed in Nottingham for the next 2 days and played some cash games in a few local cardrooms/casinos and managed to come home with a few hundred quid more than i left with, so it definitely wasnt all bad. I'm going to try my hand at a few more Live events and no doubt will be attending the next UKPC, finally id just like to say a thankyou to everyone who was at my tables at UKPC as litereally everyone was extremely welcoming of an inexperienced player, and that definitely went a long way in making me want to return again. 
  • edited August 2014
    Ask what's higher, 2 pairs or 3 of the same card.  Should set a good table image for you.
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